5 Signs That You are a Digital Leader

The scene was intimidating enough- a huge conference table with ten folks on one side and one job candidate on the other side.  Like speed dating, the interviewers fired question after question at the candidate.  Finally, THE question that was on my page came due-

"Can you tell us about your own personal use of technology?"

The answer was telling.  All of his cards were laid bare on the table as it became clear that he was not (yet) a true digital leader.  He said with the slightest grimace on his face, "Well, I have an iPhone... I have some apps... I like computers."  And on it went.

Candidate Joe was a good guy.  He did have an iPhone and did answer as best as he could.  The issue was whether he was a deeply inspired digital leader.  He wasn't.

How do you know if you are (or are becoming) a digital school leader?  Here are some signs:

1. You are truly mobile.  This is true if you need to charge your phone in the afternoon- a sign that you use your smartphone (you have one right?) a lot.
2. You embrace social media.  You Tweet, use Google Plus, get Instagram, and understand the value of the new culture of sharing.  (you can follow me on all of these here)
3. You collaborate online.  My team uses Asana but you can also use Slack or even Nozbe.  The key is in cutting down on email and working with a team via shared documents or virtual meetings.  
4. You use a digital task manager.  I like Nozbe and Todoist the best but it really doesn't matter- find one you like and use it every single day.  Paper is great but when you manage 20-30 projects at a time, digital is the way to go.
5. You respect email.  Responding to email within 24 hours is something you take very, very seriously.  I like Gmail and Airmail for Mac.

So with these in mind, are you a digital leader?  If not, can you choose one of the five signs and dive in within the next 24 hours?  

*photo courtesy of FDP

How Do You Explain Technology to Those Around You?

Every so often you get the chance to spend a day with special people.  Last Wednesday was one of those days as I gave a presentation to the leadership team of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity.  The topic was digital life and its impact on evangelization.  

Most interesting was the group's desire to learn more about how new media impacts one's faith and spirituality.  We looked real-time at Twitter and Pinterest and Tumblr.  We discussed the dangerous side effects of social media as well.

At the end of the day, I had to answer the important question, "what's the point of all of this?"  While I'm by no means an expert, a few years of practice with social media gave me enough of a platform to explain technology to this eager group. 

Here I am with the leadership team of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity- a terrific day!

We also spoke of Sherry Turkle's book, Alone Together.  Sherry discusses the various ways in which people are relying more and more on technology and less on one another- disturbing but true!   

I relied on personal experience, case studies and real-time data to help the group better understand technology.  Let's hope that it helped! 

I'm including Sherry's Ted talk below as a reference. 

So how do you explain technology to those around you?   

Noise Levels and Work: Finding Your Sweet Spot

What's your optimal level of noise? 

I have a friend named William who needs absolute silence when he studies.  He goes into a room, closes the door and reads.  Another friend, Sharon, can work with a higher level of noise.  Her preferred space for work is the coffee shop close to her house. 

I'm probably somewhere in the middle.  I don't mind some noise but I need space to zone out and get things done.

How about you? 

At what point do you slow down and see your work suffering as a result of the noise around you?  It could be a result of coworkers interruptions or enabled chimes on your laptop.  It could also be a result of the noise in your own head- distractions are something we all deal with.

In this way, work is similar to prayer in that we all have to find ways to dial back our internal noise.   For me, my role at work is often a distraction and one that I have to "work" to keep in place.  

Here's the deal- first, you'll want to identify the ideal levels of noise for your work productivity.   Are you more like Sharon or Will?  Or, maybe you're like me and you don't mind a bit of background noise?  Pay attention to the times in your week when you are especially productive.  How much noise was there?

Second, let's discuss some strategies for embracing your ideal noise levels.  Here are my three recommendations:

•  Stop worrying so much about what others think about you when you work.  After all, the bottom line is to produce good work that matters to the organization.  If you work in a company that allows headphones, go for it.  If you are in a cubicle, see if some quiet background noise is allowed and then make it happen.  If you are a "total quiet" kind of worker, figure out spaces that allow for you to get alone and get quiet.
• Be a person who suggests change and then participate in the progress.  Read here what 37 Signals does to promote a quiet workplace.  You could do that too. 
•  Get into the zone as often as possible, with noise reduction as your ally.  What we are talking about is pretty important stuff- your career, family, social network, even your faith all depend on periods of time in which you can focus and get things done.  Figure out the noise stuff and you're one step closer to hitting it out of the park on a regular basis.

Is all of this relative?  Sure.  Is it vitally important to figure out and then repeat over and over again?  Absolutely. 

What's your ideal level of noise when you are hard at work? 

 *BTW, Craig Jarrow shared a link to a great (and free!) service called Coffitity.  Simple enough, Coffitity provides coffee shop background noise for when you work.  I've used it for a few days now and it's great! 

**photo courtesy of TMN 

5 Blogs I Turn to for Inspiration

People read differently these days.  Google is shutting down Google Reader for RSS subscriptions and Amazon now sells more ebooks than print versions for several years.  I stopped using RSS readers a few years ago when Twitter came on the scene.  There's something about the brevity of Twitter that's good for people on the go.

Now I use Twitter almost exlusively for reading but there are a few excemptions.  I still enjoy going to someone's blog to see what they are up to and to "crack open" their daily posts.  

Who do I turn to for insight?  Read on...

• Shrinking the Camel- by J.B. Wood, Shrinking the Camel is quite honestly one of the best written blogs there is when it comes to putting faith into work.  J.B. is a master narrator of the events of his life and how God's providence integrates with the most mundane of activities.  A classic post: Thanks for the Lovely Gift Basket.
• Michael Hyatt- the gold standard for productivity bloggers.  Michael is also a devout Christian- combining both geekness with God.  A classic post: 5 Characteristics of Weak Leaders (and how not to be one)
• Ron Edmundson- Ron is a pastor of a traditional church and is an incredibly adept blogger.  He finds a way to talk about his church without outing difficult folks.  Always a good read.  A classic post: 10 Things I'm Learning Leading Church Change.
• Time Management Ninja- written by Craig Jarrow, TMN is all about practical tips and tricks.  With a nod to Apple geeks (just sayin'), TMN is always, and I mean always, useful for decreasing drag on your work systems.  A classic post: 10 Ways to Save Time With Evernote.
• Michael Nozbe- written by Michael Sliwinski of Nozbe fame, this blog provides a behind-the-scenes look at one of today's best techpreneurs. Michael does business the right way and has created an avid following in the process.  A classic post: Combating Resistance: the 10 Step Productivity Course Recorded.

These sites work for me when I need encouragement along the way.  Where do you turn for inspiration?

Photo courtesy of RE

Avoiding the Curse of Task Management

Today's Guest Post is from Loren Pinilis who operates Life of a Steward, a site about time management from a Christian perspective. He’s passionate about helping God’s people manage their time and showing them that busyness, stress, and procrastination are answered by the gospel.

We may use OmniFocus or Nozbe. We zealously chase Inbox Zero by using the two-minute rule.

But our focus on task management and productivity can often bring with it a curse – a weakness which actually makes us less productive.

It all started with David Allen’s Getting Things Done. Allen’s approach to the frenzied amount of decisions and information flying at us was to drill down and refine workflow. In other words, focus on mastering the basic building blocks of our day. Get really good at being efficient.

The problem is we then stay in that mindset. We stay at the “runway level” of task management. We become obsessed with efficiently adding items to our lists and efficiently crossing them off.

But we never look up to ask ourselves the big questions. In our zeal for efficiency, we move away from effectiveness. Yes, we may occasionally take a look at the bigger picture when we consider weekly planning or annual goals. But that’s not the big picture I’m talking about.

Do we ever take a step back and ask ourselves why we’re even on Earth? Do we see our daily lives in the context of eternity? Because when we do, we get a very different view of our work.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men

Colossians 3:23-24 reminds us: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

This insight absolutely changes our life.

Now, crossing things off of our list isn’t our primary focus – it’s stewarding our resources well. Now, meeting our deadlines takes a back seat to bringing glory to God. Now, we work with purpose – every second of our day. Now, we will strive towards goals that really matter.

Now, we have to depend on Christ because we won’t be able to measure up to his perfect standard in our own power.

But now, we are given tremendous freedom. We’re not called to be somebody else. We’re not punished for failing to be as influential as a celebrity, author, or CEO. The sovereign God who created the universe doesn’t call us to achievement in the eyes of the world – but to obedience wherever we are right now.

And to bring this full-circle: that obedience can be achieved, in part, by efficiency and task management.

Mastering workflow is great. Efficiency is to be prized. But be sure to connect that efficiency to true effectiveness.

Question: Do you struggle with forgetting what true effectiveness is? What are some practices that can help us remember?

*Photo courtesy of LP

You Don't Need Another Productivity System

Don't get me wrong, there are times when a new tool is what you need. A tree falls in your back yard and the puny hand saw just won't do the trick. Better to invest in a chainsaw that will get the work done in a fraction of the time. Folks here in Jersey saw this first hand in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

When it comes to your daily work though, I'm not sure that a new tool is what you need. Let me explain.

I go through a bit of something every 3-4 months. I slowly use my productivity system less and less and then hit the 3 month mark. It's at that time that I mistakenly think that I need a new tool. I actually don't. What I need is to recalibrate, refocus and spend 1-2 hours getting clear and current with my lists. Then, I'm good to go and can tackle the big projects that keep me up at night.

Busyness tricks me into thinking that I can use my systems less and expect the same results. In the end, there is no substitute for being disciplined, using my system daily and sticking with it. That's not a sexy solution but it works every time.

How about you? Do you think you need another app or "tool" when discipline/refocusing is what you really need?